


A Thorn For Two Thieves

by Of_Lights_and_Shadows, theicesculpture



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Asgard, Established Relationship, FrostIron - Freeform, Heist, M/M, Magic, Memory Loss, One Shot, POV Changes, Robbery, Theft, Time Skips, magical objects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21620449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Of_Lights_and_Shadows/pseuds/Of_Lights_and_Shadows, https://archiveofourown.org/users/theicesculpture/pseuds/theicesculpture
Summary: There's Tony, there's Loki, an ambitious heist, and a plant that feeds off memories.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Me and Nico were paired together for the frostiron minibang and here's what we made! The in a not so distant past scenes are mine (theicesculpture), and the in an unspecified present scenes as well as all the artwork is Of_Lights_and_Shadows's.
> 
> Thanks to [JanecShannon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JanecShannon/pseuds/JanecShannon) for beta reading this for us!

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Something is wrong. Tony's not sure what, but he'll figure it out. He always does._

_And where did that come from? In fact, where and, most importantly,_ who _is he?_

_He doesn't remember much, which is strange. What he does remember is his name, that he builds things, he likes doing it, and he was supposed to do something very important, instead of sitting wherever he was right now. It's not the time for panicking now. Even if this is a prison, even if he doesn’t know why he’s here. He’ll get through it._

_He hopes._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

Perhaps it was naive of Loki to assume that the vaults of Asgard would be the easiest he and Tony had ever breached. And not because the vaults were lacking in defences, because they _weren't_ – there were magical wards, countless guards stationed outside it, and then there was the matter of the automatons inside it. 

And Thor, naive Thor who knew nothing of the various mischief and exploits that Loki, accompanied and sometimes led astray by Tony (it had gotten increasingly difficult to be able to tell over time who exactly was doing the leading astray), had gotten up to and was not want to act in such a way to displace the new position Loki had earned himself. As far as Thor was concerned, Loki's behaviour had been, if not exemplarily, then at the very least acceptable. It had been Loki who'd been the one to calm the newest dwarven emissary during their first meeting and Loki who'd seen to it that the dwarf's enchanted axe was located. It had also been Loki who'd stolen the object in the first place, but that was a fact of little importance and Thor would be far happier remaining ignorant of his exploits.

It had been the first and only time Loki had ever received an official notice warning for any of his minor crimes, a small envelope pushed underneath his door, though how anyone had been able to deduce that he was the thief, he had few ideas about other than the possibility of the axe being enchanted with magics he didn’t understand. 

It wasn't as if Loki had ever possessed much use for an axe – he had little interest in using it himself, and he had little desire for gold. But the value of the objects was not in their properties, nor in the profit they could bring him: the value was in the _challenge_. Loki had needed something to keep himself occupied with after Asgard has almost been destroyed – a small amount, if not mostly, because of him. Asgard's people had almost been eliminated – again, a small amount, if not mostly, because of him. And then there was the matter of Thor. Thor’s aspirations had transcended from becoming King Thor the Mighty to King Thor the Generous, and in doing so he’d granted the Frost Giants their precious casket in a futile attempt to once again reunite the Nine Realms.

Loki preferred not to think too much on that. How Thor had gone from swearing oaths to kill every Jotun he could find to sending them _gifts_ with hopes of earning their forgiveness and trust.

When Odin had been the Allfather, he used fear to cement the union of the Nine Realms; Thor, it seemed, was electing to take a different approach.

Maybe that was why Mjohnir thought Thor was worthy. In retrospect, it was nothing short of ridiculous that Loki had ever tried to lift it. No one was more monstrous than Loki than when he'd been at the height of his power – not even the _Frost Giants_ – and if he was even more monstrous than them surely that meant–

"Loki." Tony snapped his fingers in front of his face. "You still here?"

Loki shook his head. "Of course I'm still here."

The way he shook his head must not have been convincing because Tony gave him a certain look before appearing to consign defeat. 

“Alright.” Tony shrugged. "You sure this is gonna work?"

Loki gave it a moment of thought. "Only moderately."

"Well. That’s good, I guess. That's what you said about that horn and that time we stole the ring that spawns rings every nine days."

"And I wasn't lying – I _was_ moderately certain."

"And they all went by without a hitch."

"As I recall, there were _multiple_ hitches, Tony."

“I’m Tony Stark. Multiple hitches are a given.”

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_His name is Tony, he knows that much. It doesn’t take long for it to come to him. He's an engineer, and proud of his skills. He has an object at his hands and he has no idea what its purpose is, but he can feel some sort of power from it, strange as it sounds._

_A quick inspection of his surroundings shows him he’s not alone. There’s another man in the room. He doesn’t know if he’s sleeping, unconscious, or dead. He hopes the stranger isn’t dead; it’s a burden on his conscience that shouldn’t be there, and yet it is, like an unpleasant memory. As if he’s lost someone before like that._

_He doesn’t want another death on his conscience._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

“Anyone else might feel guilty,” Tony said. 

“About what?”  
“Stealing from your own home.”

They had reached a fork in the road and Loki led them in silence up the path that led to the palace, the one whose route would take them behind the taverns and houses of the city folk rather than through the city centre.

“So,” Tony said, having to pace his steps faster to keep up with him. “Asgard, huh?”

“This isn’t your first venture here.”

“It’s my first time going all Mission Impossible here so if anything can count as a first adventure here, it’s that.”

Loki suppressed a grin. "Careful now," he said, his voice light. "I wouldn't want you disappointed to find that the challenge will be the dullest one yet."

"Dull? I don't know what about stealing from the giants at the top of the beanstalk says boring to you."

"Well it's not quite as elegant as–"

"No. Wait. Let me guess: you're disappointed there'll be no point staging an entire alter-ego this time."

"It wasn't _just_ me who crafted an entire persona."

"And you're disappointed it hasn't taken months of slowly conning people into trusting us for our plan to work."

"Oh, please. You enjoyed the opportunity to create another identity for yourself perhaps even more than I did. And as I recall, your new personality very much enjoyed playing Burners and Beholders."

"Okay, fine. The drinking was fun. And combined with gambling, it was even more fun. I mean, the entire thing was fun. Space-Vegas. Complicated as hell but one hell of a good time. All in the name of business, right?"

"And of course," Loki said, his tone making it nothing short of abundantly clear his complete lack of sincerity, "it was only made all the more gratifying how our kind hosts benefited from our... intervention." 

Tony let out a snort. "Altruism through and through." His smile turned sly. "Technically, you inadvertently ended up joining the good guys and the side of peace and all that since taking the giant crystal thing from Vanaheim kinda ended up stopping a civil war breaking out."

"Believe me," Loki said, "my ambitions were not set quite so high."

They reached a steep incline that led to the sleeping quarters of the guards and palace servants, a path of stone steps that ran up the hill to the back of the palace.

Loki let out a sigh.

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_The man opposite Tony stirs, but doesn’t wake up._

_He doesn’t want to get his hopes up, and yet that’s what happens, even if he doesn’t realise it._

_Time passes slowly._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

“You know – and a handful of years ago I’d never thought I’d say this – but you could do a lot if you were more ambitious.”

The statement made Loki tense, causing a lull in his pacing. “I’m not my brother.”

“No shit.”

“Acts of heroism… aren’t in my forte.”

“Sure, sure. But helping save people or entire planets with convoluted ways of messing with people or a whole series of coincidences with the underlying common factor of _you_ or getting people to act in ways that only serve your sense of fun and totally not anyone else’s, nope not at all – that’s totally not off the cards.”

“Is this an attempt to convert me? We’ve spoken of the futility of–”

“Convert you to do what? Join my team? Because – newsflash – we’ve kind of already partnered up for a while here so you’re already on it. We’re not gonna give ourselves a corny name and show up together so sick kids can get selfies with us, but that doesn’t mean we’re not… you know… doing stuff. Stuff that’s actually important.”

“Ah, yes, forgive me if I forget the importance of a healthy number of thefts and the friendly rivalry that compels me to take something from underneath Thor’s nose in such a way to ensure he knows I’m responsible but cannot do anything about it.”

“Yup.” Something about the way Tony said it made Loki think he would have patted his shoulder if they’d been standing side by side. “Messing with Thor. That must be it. The only reason why.”

“Are you trying to deter me?”

A series of expressions crossed Tony’s face: faint exasperation, slight resignation, then one with a trace of humour. “Well, hey, you get the bonus of taking me out on a date so there’s that.”

“Is that what you call this?”

“Oh yeah,” Tony said, “technically, we’ve been dating for _years_ , not just the past one.”

“I’m not entirely sure committing treason followed by impulsive copulation can constitute as–”

“Course it does.” Tony was grinning, Loki didn’t need to turn around to be sure of it. “It’s the best kind.”

It took some time before the path levelled to a flat. The east wing of the palace was in front of them.

There were other ways, more straightforward ways, Loki was sure, to reach the vaults. But this was the most favourable method he could think of, even if–

"You ready?" Tony asked.

"You know how much I dislike being hoisted in the air by–"

"Hey – this was your plan."

"Some things," Loki said, voice stiff, "are necessary burdens to bear."

"Funny. I remember you saying the same thing about spending time with me a couple years back."

"Yes, well, you did have an irritating habit of appearing wherever it would cause the most inconvenience to me."

"You mean when I turned up... in my own house."

"Most inconveniently," Loki agreed.

“Yeah, that’d be pretty inconvenient when you’re trying to get your hands on my new laser tech.”

“In my defence, your laser technology has such a great number of uses that it practically invites theft.” Loki's gaze fell to Tony’s armour. "Is your shield prepared?"

Tony flexed his wrist and the parts began to assemble themselves out of it, shooting from a hole so small other Asgardians might have assumed sorcery was at play if they’d witnessed it. It grew like some sort of mechanical lifeform, expanding in size and shape and constructing itself from his hand outwards, red and gold and black plates sliding over each other as it locked into place.

"I know," Tony said. "I'm impressive."

"Impressively arrogant."

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_When the man wakes up, he doesn’t approach. He and Tony just observe each other. He’s suspicious of him and Tony doesn’t blame him. The feeling is mutual, ever since he woke up. Who he is, what they’ve done to be here, together. Was it an accident, a coincidence, or was there a reason?_

_He can wait, but he’s sure curiosity will kill him if the stranger doesn’t first._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

"Now remember–" Loki got out.

"The first thing the automaton is gonna do when it spies us is take a shot. We’ve been over this. People are always surprised when I actually listen and remember what they tell me."

“I thought it more prudent to be certain now rather than wait until we are facing it.”

Tony held a hand over his heart. “It’s nice to know you think of little old me from time to time.”

“It’s hard not to when your presence is hardly a quiet one.”

“Eh. Loudmouth. Smartmouth. It’s a fine line.” He turned around and braced himself for Loki’s weight. “Hop on.”

"I hope you're not getting any ideas about carrying me in the future."

"Me?" Tony asked and Loki could picture the feigned innocence on his face just as vividly as if he could see it. "Personally, I think you'd complain more if I offered to scoop you up in my arms instead."

"For the sake of my dignity," Loki said, "I'm glad my illusions render us invisible to any onlookers."

And then he was on Tony’s back and he propelled them the air, flying meters and meters higher until they were hovering in parallel to the walls of the second floor.

Even irrespective of the vault’s guards – both man and machine – it had various enchantments in place, magical wards that rendered illusions useless and ensured no mage would be able to teleport into the places underneath the ward's protection. But the protective means only spanned the vault's interior and the passage that led into the vaults. None had spared much thought to _outside_ of those areas, not when the walls were made of solid metal and when it would take even a master blacksmith weeks to break through it using their traditional tools.

But that was what Loki was counting on.

If there was anything the tools within his and Tony's arsenal were not, it was traditional.

The vault was prepared for trespass from creatures and monsters, mages and warriors, lockpickers and invaders. It wasn't prepared for a Midgardian inventor. And it certainly wasn’t prepared for a Midgardian inventor who was able to cut through sheets of metal using nothing more than what appeared as a red beam of light that projected from his armour. Loki also liked to think the vaults weren’t prepared for that same Midgardian to have partnered himself to someone such as himself. A former prince of Asgard. Someone worthy of the title of the God of Lies and Trickery.

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_The stranger reluctantly introduces himself as Loki. There’s a possibility that it’s not a real name, but Tony lets it slide, for now. After all, the only Loki he knows of is the one from stories. It could be that his parents loved mythology so they saddled him with that name. Or, it could be that the stranger simply liked being called that._

_Their cell is a bright white, and pristinely clean. There is a strange golden glow over the panes of what might be glass that means they can’t be touched._

_“I know you probably don’t trust me,” Tony says. It’s mutual, and he doesn’t trust himself either, but feels it’s better to keep those thoughts to himself. He’s not planning on admitting weakness that easily. “Don’t you think we’ll have to work together to escape this place? Wherever this place is.”_

_Loki stares at him. He must be deep in thought, Tony thinks. But then, Loki just nods, and they leave it there, for now._

_Tomorrow? Or not. Later, they can start looking for ways to escape their captors, whoever they might be._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

Deviousness and deception had its uses. Any scheme depended on it and their current one was not an exception. But despite Loki being largely responsible for the plan, the execution of it still relied more on Tony rather than their usual even split. Though, as Loki liked to remind himself, he was still essential for allowing them to escape without being punished for what was an act of treason. 

It wasn't that Thor would have been particularly angry if he discovered their intentions, but he certainly wouldn't have appreciated his authority being undermined in front of other influential members of the court, especially not while he had only so recently risen to his current position.

“Uh,” Tony said, squinting at the section of the palace they were hovering in front of. "You sure that's it?" 

"It's not the vault," Loki stated. "But it's where we need to go."

The Destroyer was long since dead. But that didn’t mean there weren’t others like it. There was the Impairer, the Ravager, the Exterminator, who, amongst others, guarded the vaults and all of them – every last one of them – provided an equal threat. 

The hole Tony created through the wall revealed the automaton that waited for them: the Annihilator, standing immobile in its service to protect Asgard, ready to come to life the instant it detected a sign of intrusion. 

But, Loki realised with a grin twisting his lips, his suspicions had been correct: there were flaws in the vault’s defences. Namely how their enchantments, as proven by its lack of response at the breaching of the wall, ensured they were surveying the _vault_ , not the cells that housed the automatons by its edges. 

"Huh," Tony said, climbing inside through the hole. "Looks like you were right about the–"

And that was when the Annihilator came to life, rising to three times the height of them, its metal form twisting around the structure that formed its spine, the empty sockets in its helmet filling with a light that glowed like an ember, then grew brighter and brighter. 

The blast it sent their way was scorching. 

It was then that Loki realised his theory about the vaults might not have been entirely correct.

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Loki’s breathing is fast, maybe too fast, because Tony can hear it from where he is. Loki’s curled in on himself and puts his head between his legs the moment he thinks he’s being watched. His nails are clenching so tightly he’s scared that if Loki doesn’t stop, he’ll start bleeding._

_Shit._

_Shit shit shit._

_How is this his life again?_

_In fact, how is their life again?_

_Because it should be plain impossible for Loki's eyes to turn a deep, dark, yet shiny red (so pretty!) out of nowhere. Or his skin to turn blue. Not the ‘I'm cold and losing colour’ blue, because it's everywhere and there are these strange lines of a lighter blue on his face and this is literally the worst time to be staring at someone and thinking they're handsome, focus Tony!_

_He should really focus because Loki looks very scared. It's only natural, right? It's an unexpected, scary change. He should try and comfort him then? Isn't what people do? Comfort others in distress. But, that's usually between friends, or family, or even lovers. He and Loki are temporary allies, and that only at best. At worst, well, they'll most likely try to kill each other when they recover their lost memories. They could be, after all, enemies._

_So, he tries to approach, but Loki pulls away the more he tries. He ends up being backed in a corner, and curl on himself. He tries to approach slowly and, despite Loki’s obvious wariness, he's allowed closer._

_Tony lies down next to him._

_It feels strange, all cold and warm at the same time. It's as if Loki's skin is too cold like that, and it's the physical proximity that brings out this warmth. It's not a bad feeling, on the contrary; it feels comforting. It's nice, and for some reason, it makes him feel safe. It's as if, perhaps, trying to fill up an emotional hole he didn't know it existed, and actually managing it just as well._

_They spend a quarter of eternity in silence, before he hears Loki mutter something about frostbite and hurt and worry._

_"Do you want to hurt me?" Tony asks him, and Loki doesn't reply._

_That might be an answer by itself._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

Loki grabbed Tony’s arm to right the shield in front of them and it took the brunt of the heat.

"I recommend undertaking your part of the plan faster," Loki said.

"Oh, you think?" Tony pulled out another one of his devices. "You ready?"

Loki nodded. Tony pressed a button.

It wouldn't be easy, that much Loki was certain of; automatons were neither entirely creature nor machine, neither entirely made up of magic nor solid matter. They were works of craftmanship from the dwarves of Nidavellir whose intelligence was bestowed to them only by the most accomplished of mages. 

All Loki had to do was forge the connection between himself and the automaton, instigate a link, and only once he was able to do it would the device Tony carried in turn be able to translate the mechanics woven through the dwarven magic – which was far more rooted in mathematics than the forms of magic Loki was most familiar with – into code. And the advantage to code, Tony had informed him, was that code could always be hacked.

The Annihilator’s body was sharper and harder and stronger than any of Tony's suits of armour combined, brute force compacted into limbs that did not need muscle. When it stepped, the floor quaked from the sheer force of it, and when it unleashed its fire, the air practically burned with it.

They were inside of its cage, its lair, behind the gates from which it guarded from, and for all its intelligent design it was not able to see through Loki's illusions. 

If it was, it surely would have fired at them a second time rather than remaining still, waiting for an input to prompt it into acting. 

It didn't seem to know what to do without one. 

Now they were both quiet it didn’t have anything to aim at, no way to gauge who or where the intruders were, and, Loki could only hope, nothing to give them away.

It didn't appear to know what to make of it. Something or somebody had spoken – it had _heard_ Tony's voice, it must have done – but failing to pinpoint the origin of the noise, it settled for a long searing blast that began in one corner of its cage and slowly, methodically, started to sweep its way across.

There wasn’t much time.

The ray of light and heat was getting closer and closer towards where Loki and Tony were crouched, leaving black scorch marks on the walls and floor as it did so. 

Maybe once the blast would reach the other side of its cage it would assume that it was enough to have covered the volume of its cell once over. Loki didn't know the full extent of its intelligence. Would it question whose voice it had detected? Would it assume the intruders to be dead? Would it search for their bodies afterwards in order to be certain?

Loki needed to work faster. 

Trying to locate the core of the Annihilator wasn’t dissimilar to fumbling around with a key in the dark; he knew the source of its power was there and his senses told him the origin was nearby, but he lacked the precision required to locate exactly where. If granting metal sentience was an area of magic Loki specialised in then perhaps he could have managed it quicker but that was something far closer to Tony’s abilities than his. Then again, if creating sentience was a specialisation of Loki’s, perhaps they would’ve had no need for the device of Tony's at all.

But there still wasn’t much time. Less time than there had been. The heat was beginning to seer the fabric that covered Loki’s arm despite the radius of the blast still being feet away and the shield was beginning to disintegrate at the edges. He had a split second to make a decision: rely on the shield to protect them for however long it took the blast to pass over them, or use the shield to protect them for a brief moment while they ran to the opposite side of the cell.

Loki chose the latter option. It bought them more time.

There was tension in Tony's posture as he huddled next to him behind the shield, tension because he was waiting for Loki to access the magic without verbalising it, probably attempting to calculate how much time they'd have left before some sort of intervention would become necessary. 

Concentration. That was all Loki needed.

Tony opened his mouth but when his eyes caught Loki's he closed it again.

Good. He understood. 

Loki closed his eyes. It went against base instinct to do so, to render his eyesight useless and ensure his ignorance of the Annihilator's movements. But he had Tony to watch for him. Tony's mind was prone to straying, but not in a detrimental fashion during moments like this. 

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Sometimes they talk. Sometimes they try to escape. The talking is more successful than their escape attempts. A lot more successful._

_Tony likes it. Talking to him. There's a darkness to Loki he finds fascinating, but there's a vulnerability too and his entire personality is like shards of broken glass._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

An inhale. An exhale.

Loki's senses were sharper now. He released his magic again – he'd always pictured it as wisps of glowing green smoke in his mind's eye – and felt it drawn to a particular spot, like the wind was directing it there. 

Slowly, carefully, he brought his magic to surround it, blanketing the shape. Then he pulled. From the central point, he pulled so his magic was compacting against it tighter and tighter until it seeped into a crack and then, like inserting a key into a lock, he was there. 

He'd found it, the source of the ancient magic that ran within its core. But if Loki's magic was the instrument to seeking it out and making it accessible, Tony's device was the control, the turning of the key and accessing what lay beyond.

Loki opened his eyes. Tony was waiting for him, the question evidence in his stare: _Well?_

Loki nodded his confirmation.

The Annihilator was still, stationary, no weapon firing from it and no signs that it was preparing to do so.

Loki didn’t trust it.

Tony began tapping away at his device, his speed stunted by having only one hand free to do so. _The shield_. Loki took it on his behalf and Tony did not voice any objections, his attention entirely dominated by the screen and the series of numbers and letters he was entering into it. 

The silence in the aftermath of all the blasts was startling but it did not last for long. There was a hiss, a loud one emitted from a small notch on top of the Annihator's body.

_A hiss? Why would it be_ –

Gas. It was releasing some form of gas. 

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_It's bad._

_It's really bad._

_End of the world bad._

_Tony might be falling in love with Loki._

_No._

_He’s already in love with Loki. He has absolutely no idea how it happened, or how it started. But the truth is there. He's in love. Loki obviously isn't._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

Loki could smell it, the potent chemical scent, and the yellow clouds of it hadn't even reached him yet his vision was already blurring and when he tried to turn to warn Tony, he stumbled and had to right himself. 

All the jolts and noise appeared to cause not so much as a minor distraction for Tony; he remained utterly still except for his fingers that flew over his keypad, muttering strings of code underneath his breath. 

The yellow in the air had reached them now, swarming them and sticking to Loki's skin.

Loki held his breath. Tony had the suit, and in that respect he was fortunate. 

A few minutes. Loki could do that. He could hold his breath for a short number of minutes, longer than the average Midgardian could. And Tony worked quickly, there was still a chance they wouldn't have to make a hasty retreat...

The Annihilator turned its gaze towards them. It would have been looking directly at them if it had eyes – _right at them_ – and how was it possible that it knew exactly where–

Loki’s skin. The residue of the gas that clung to it. 

The hollows in the Annihilator’s empty sockets began to glow. 

Loki dived to one side, colliding with Tony on his way down, and the impact of the blast exploded against the spot where they had been stood.

His hand met the floor and he pushed himself to his knees. Something crunched. The screen. It was the screen of Tony’s device, it must have slipped and now it might have been rendered useless, unusable and shattered and broken beyond repair. 

Tony snatched it from underneath him.

"Hurry!" Loki got out. It didn't matter whether or not they were heard anymore when they were already visible.

The empty metal eye sockets lit up once more.

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_In the end, they don't even escape themselves. There's this huge creature, gigantic and robotic, and Tony would just want to take it apart and peer at its insides to see how it works if it wasn’t for how it was coming for them, marching straight up to their cell._

_He doesn't get to take it apart though. The thing breaks through the glass and just reaches through the golden glow that guarded it and for a moment Tony's certain it's going to kill them._

_It doesn’t though. It just stands to one side and waits and it’s holding a plant in its hands and Tony can’t figure out why._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

Loki allowed his illusion to fall and then he ran, ran in a circle around the cage all while the blast chased him, inches shy of hitting him, the heat enough to burn through his leather. 

And then he leapt. 

The back of the metal creature was not a gentle landing. It was sharp and jagged and _hard_ and something impaled his leg as he landed that made him hiss. 

The valve. He had to close it but it was nearing impossible to distinguish what were metal plates from what were any other components.

Loki’s hands seized a notch of its spine and he pulled himself up, having to drag most of his weight and use his feet to gain what traction he could. 

His progress was in inches at a time but it was progress nonetheless. 

The position gave him little combative advantage other than avoiding any immediate blasts. If it was a creature of flesh, he could have used that. He could have cut its throat with his daggers or skewered its eyeballs or reach around to sink his blades into just below its ribcage and _tear_. But the Annihilator was a machine. It had no such weaknesses, none other than Loki being little more than a distraction. 

Tony would know. Tony would know he was distracting it, he would’ve been able to infer as much even if his suit wasn’t able to allow him to see beyond the gas.

Faster. Loki needed to get to the valve faster. All the climbing had depleted most of the air that was in his lungs and he had no desire to discover what the gas the machine released would do to him if he inhaled more of it. 

He grabbed another notch. Then another. 

The Annihilator’s head turned – not just a turn to the side, but a turn that revolved around in a perfect half-rotation so that it stared at him in such a way that would have broken the neck of any human.

Orange light consumed Loki’s vision. 

And, a voice whispered in Loki’s head, he really should have anticipated that, shouldn’t he? He’d been watching when he'd sent the Destroyer after Thor all those years ago and wasn’t it just _poetic_ that he should meet his end now, when–

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Love hurts._

_It's a beautiful thing, but it hurts, and sometimes too much._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

The light in its eyeholes died and Loki could do nothing but stare. 

"Did it!" Tony shouted from the other side of the room.

Loki’s vision was blurring, though whether it was from how long he’d been having to hold his breath or from sheer relief, he could not say. 

Replying would use up the last of his precious reserve of air, but there was no longer any yellow gas spraying out of the valve, and what remained in the air was beginning to dissipate. 

Loki allowed his head to fall against a metal plate in front of him. _Just a little while longer, just a_ –

“Shit.” There were more sounds of movement from where Tony was stood. “You need my helmet? I can hold my breath for a bit, give you a turn with some clean air.”

Loki shook his head. _Almost done, almost…_

“Moron.” 

There was a quiet roar. The repulsors, Loki realised dimly. Then Tony landed next to him. 

“Seriously,” Tony said. “It’s not gonna be a problem. Take a breather. In the literal way.”

It occurred to Loki that it was taking more effort than it should have done to open his eyes, then that caused him to realise he must have closed them without being aware of it.

There were still remnants of the gas in the air. Not huge amounts, but enough that it would be a risk for Tony – _mortal Tony_ – to breathe any.

Loki’s lungs were tight, almost tighter than they’d ever been, screaming at him.

Slowly, tentatively, he drew in a breath. 

The air caused nausea to stir in his stomach and it did nothing to ease his dizziness, but it was air and it probably wasn’t going to kill him. 

“You just had to do it the stubborn way, didn’t you?”

The next breath of air Loki took, now mostly certain it wouldn’t cause any permanent damage, was in a great heave. 

Tony waited for him to finish, one hand on his back, and then, “How are the old lungs?”  
“They’re not _that_ old,” Loki managed.

Tony poked him in the chest. “They’ve gotta be at least over a thousand years old. They’re not exactly young and sprightly.”

“Not by Midgardian standards, perhaps.”

“Yeah, well, we tend to put those kinds of things in museums.”

Loki was able to sit up straighter. “May I congratulate you on your fantastic timing?”

“Hm? Oh. Right. This thing.” He knocked his knuckles against the Annihilator’s back and the sound clanged. “Yeah, that was…” He cleared his throat. “Close.”

“My demise did come slightly too close for my own comfort.”

“Not for the first time.”

“In my defence, I didn’t know the thing even _had_ a valve until it started attracting attention to it.”

“Only morons get themselves killed for the sake of a grand prize they don’t even want for themselves.”

“Well then,” Loki said with a smile that was only slightly strained, “I suppose it’s a good thing neither of us are particularly prone to profound acts of idiocy.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to call bullshit on that one.”

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_When Tony’s memories come back they hit him all at once._

_After they’ve made their way out of the cell and they’re safe and warm and finally free, Tony remembers someone telling him that love is nothing more than daydreams about to turn into nightmares; it's the most horrifying emotion because it catches you unaware. It grows on you, and when you lower your guard, it's then that it destroys you._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

“You okay to climb down?” Tony asked.

Loki had to move slower in order to counteract the lingering dizziness, but he was able to reach the floor unscathed, and Tony remained behind him in case he fell. 

“Alright.” Tony’s eyes were alight. “Watch this.” He tapped away at his device and Loki only had a brief moment to register his surprise that the thing was still able to function before the Annihilator stepped forward at Tony’s command. “Let’s see… Ballerina twirl.” He circled the screen with a finger and the automaton span at his touch. “Fork truck arms.” It obeyed, its two limbs stuck straight out in front of it. “Stealth walk.” The motion that followed was nothing short of ridiculous. “I think we’re ready.”

“One thing,” Loki said. “Before we send it into the vault.” He summoned a piece of parchment and quill from his pocket dimension.

Tony looked from the parchment to Loki. “You’re a little shit, you know that right?”

Loki’s grin was wide. “So I’ve been informed.” 

And then, with a flourish, he wrote:

_Dear Thor,_

_I am writing to confirm that this is precisely what you think it is._

_Wishing you all the best with the resulted complications that will no doubt cause many arguments from within your royal council,_

_Your anonymous but convenient thief_

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Someone else told Tony love is an illusion. It makes you see only the best in someone. And then time will pass, and the pretty, thin lace that is love will be slowly taken away from your eyes. It's then that you'll see the ugliness that your love hid._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

It was supposed to have been simple. Breach the automaton's confinement. Access its core in order to control it. Send the Annihilator after Alfheim’s most valued artefact. And admittedly, they had accomplished all those steps, though with a few more complications than they'd originally anticipated. It was the final step – the automaton bringing back the last remaining Alfheimian plant that feeds off memories – when the plan went further array. 

The automatons were the vault's best defence. They were the only things besides Asgard's king that could enter the vaults without it triggering some sort of security alert, the only things that the ward did not affect. 

The moment the floor, the air – anything within the given walls of the vault – was breached, the gates to a cage would open. That would be all it would take. Just one unlocking and one metal beast sent out to eliminate the trespasser. And Loki had tested that for himself, hadn't he? All those years ago when he'd lured the party of Jotuns to their doom in his even more doomed attempt to further stall Thor's coronation and–

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_A third person told Tony love is a journey. It takes the long road to find it, and it's full of obstacles and hardships, but if it's true, it's something that will never leave you, and will always accompany you, in the hardships and beauties of life._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

There was a more pressing matter at hand: Loki's theory had been wrong. 

His theory was untested though not unfounded, and it would have been reasonable to assume the automatons were conditioned to not view one another as threats, and to attack each another would be detrimental to their purpose. With the exception, as it turned out, of when one of them had taken an item for itself. 

The Annihilator had no issues picking up the plant in all its casing and leaving the note in its place, but when it began its journey back towards them, there was the slam of another gate opening, the heavy footsteps of something emerging neither Loki nor Tony could see.

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_The last person told Tony that love is a game. It's a game everyone is part of, willingly or not. That it's better to be a willing player, to lead others to their defeat than experience it yourself. The one that wins at love is the one that isn't swayed by it._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

"Come on, come on, come on," Tony chanted, tapping at the controls on his screen with more urgency, attempting to drive the Annihilator into moving faster. 

"Tony," Loki said slowly as the automaton came into view, "we don't have the time to fight or infiltrate whatever else has been unleashed this time. Not when the others might be activated now they have detected a breach." 

A muscle in Tony's jaw tightened. "Alright. Change of plan. Hop on board."

"What?"

"I said–"

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

All those people were wrong _, Tony thinks. Love is an adventure._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

And that was when the Annihilator bounded through the gate and seized both Loki and Tony, one in either hand, before leaping out the hole in the wall.

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Love is an adventure you go through with another at your side. You encounter your hardships, your obstacles, your beautiful moments, your discoveries. The right kind of love was the one that was a beautiful adventure._

**_In a not so Distant Past_ **

They landed on solid ground, prepared to flee, to escape, to disappear before they could be found. 

But they were not alone. 

Heimdall was facing them, along with a line of palace guards and Loki had to laugh because they'd come so far only to be thwarted so easily because he’d been idiotic enough to let his illusion fall when he’d been preoccupied being chased by the Annihilator. 

The Annihilator was next to him, the plant still in one hand. Then it tore off the casing and Loki could feel the plant grasping at his mind despite not touching him and there was a wild stare in Tony's eyes that meant he could feel it too.

His hand met his.

They'd figure this out. It might take time, but they would do it. One way or another. Because–

**_In an Unspecified Present_ **

_Their adventure is with each other, and they are more than happy with it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go to the next chapter for Of_Lights_and_Shadows's artwork


	2. Artwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of_Lights_and_Shadow's artwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of_Lights_and_Shadow's artwork inspired by the concept we came up with.


End file.
